To begin the process of sharing my thoughts on a number of different areas within shirt collecting, I feel it’s right to start on how my own collection started.

Exploring social media and reflecting on my own journey, it’s apparent that a visit to a city or town, is a good enough reason to purchase a shirt. You may also acquire one through a recommendation or even just because you like a certain pattern. The possibilities here are endless and are exclusive to that respective person.

For me, there have been a number of factors, to now start buying shirts on a frequent basis;

Previous experiences – Growing up watching Serie A was where my love for the Italian culture came from, where as my obsession for football in general would come from a Sunday morning. Match of the Day was on far too late when I was a child, so my father would record the programme on VHS, with me watching it first thing on a Sunday morning. The only opportunity for me to watch football from a South American viewpoint was the occasional viewing on a programme called, Trans World Sport. There was of course the World Cup’s, with my earliest memory being 1994, with 1998 being extremely fresh in my brain as we speak.

Club visits – As a full time football coach, I’ve had the opportunity to visit many professional clubs across the world. These vary from non – league clubs in Spain to top clubs in Germany. In between and along the journey, I’ve worked across the globe, interacting with many different players. Photo’s obviously work well at preserving memories, but so do shirts. With each visit I’ve had, I’ve always tried to purchase a shirt as a keep sake.

Work – I currently own a football coaching company and one of my main jobs, is to educate players from a young age, all the way through to senior football. I’ve used various ways of doing this, with a new concept coming this summer. I’ll be taking children ‘back in time’, to educate them on some of the greatest players, games, tournaments, moments and of course kits! I’ve recognised that there is a strong emphasis on the present, with everyone knowing about Messi and Ronaldo, but you rarely hear about Zidane or Cruyff. So, I’ve now taken it upon myself, to take everyone on a journey and will need more shirts to help me with this.

General interest – Being a lover of all things football, shirts are just a small part of what brings me joy. I also own many programmes, scarves, magazines and pictures. Most recently, I won some signed cards from the 90’s as well as securing some 1996 Panini stickers from my beloved, QPR. This could be something small for someone else, but the memories it brings, is a huge welcome.

While there could be many other reasons to start collecting, I decided that those 4 were the foundations of where I am now. The next question is, where does this burning desire come from, to keep spending money?

Knowing a little bit about science and how the brain operates, I can usually tell when something takes my interest. I look across pictures, photos and sales adverts, burning away my time, in search for that huge dopamine hit. This hormone is key, in a lot of things we as humans use in making a decision.

For example – Like it or not, I don’t get any satisfaction in looking at a Real Madrid shirt. After reflecting, I know it is due to the very plain colour scheme, with not much going on. I’ve been fortunate to visit the club within a coaching capacity and love everything they do for the sport, but for the shirt, it’s a no from me.

Now, if I take a shirt with a number of bright colours on and a very alternative design, this catches my attention almost immediately. This is apparent in what I own and when I’m also browsing websites, who display pages upon pages of offers.

So, if the colour and patterns ignite that desire, what’s next for me? Do I have a positive affiliation with this club? Can I see myself wearing it? Does it bring back any positive experiences from my childhood?
While I don’t always answer those questions with a ‘yes’, I usually get an internal feeling that pushes my decision further. As humans we have to evolve everyday and we go through thousands of decision’s each day. This process (consciously or unconsciously) will get to a certain threshold, where you’ll act on something, or you simply won’t.

One of the contributing factors for me here, after I’ve identified the shirt, is looking at the financial commitment it will take to secure it. The decision is nearly made and once it’s done (by the click of a few buttons), I receive this large dopamine hit and the shirt is on it’s way…..

While this hobby could turn into some form of problem (look up shopping addictions), it’s vitally important that we all don’t keep chasing the next purchase and instead, reflect and be grateful for what we have in our possession.

Next week, I’m going to share my thoughts on a large part of shirt collecting, the finances!